Marketing strategies used to sell soft drink or fast food to children can also work to sell fresh fruit and vegetables to those same children, according to marketing veteran and former COO for Coca Cola within the Americas, Jeff Dunn. “Fruit and vegetable consumption globally is decreasing, while junk food consumption is increasing because people do what you inspire them to do,” he told the audience at PMA A-NZ Fresh Connections in Melbourne. Dunn told how the number of Americans who have made an effort to eat healthier has increased from just 46% to 80% in the space of only four years, and how young mothers are actively looking for ways to feed their children healthier food.
Those results also come from a campaign Dunn has helped spearhead in the US, called FNV. FNV, with the tagline for kids ‘eat brighter’ has been linked to characters from Sesame Street, and more than 50 adult celebrities have begun spreading the message. The idea was to paint junkfood in the ‘right light’ and take the lessons that could be applied to other products. “In the context of junkfood marketing kids love colour and excitement. The product just happened to be in the centre,” he said during his presentation on the Fresh Connections conference day last Tuesday. FNV aims to bring the same colour, excitement and emotional connection to healthy food advertising.
Millennial ‘Generation Z’ consumers, a blueprint
Mr Dunn spoke of a change, which began in the early 2000s, and has increased in pace as millennials reach the age where they are having children and making more food purchasing decisions. “Big brands come under question in terms of values. Brands were like castles, now the consumer has questions about authenticity. They’ve started to trust small brands,” he said, confirming that consumers are looking for something different, and are more often looking for local suppliers. He also described Generation Z as ‘always connected’, but with a social conscience, and curious. Of research he discussed he said that 89% support companies with a social conscience, and 93% consult reviews before buying a product.
A significant number of millennials are also vegetarian (18%), and 14% are ‘committed’ vegetarians. Most interestingly 23% are more likely to exercise and 36% are more likely to follow a diet plan. Online grocery shopping, which is still in its infancy, is already a major global industry, with more than $15 billion in sales. This has led to ‘fundamental shifts in how retailers retail and marketers market,” Mr Dunn said.
These shifts were explained further, when it was revealed that 85% of consumers trust the social media ‘influencers’ they follow, 95% of millennials expect a brand to have a facebook page, and 62% say that if brands engage with them on facebook they are more likely to buy from them. As could be expected, marketers have also started to shift the way they engage, with 79% shifting to branded content.
Case studies on success
Mr Dunn also presented the success story of the business he now works with, Bolthouse Farms, as well as his role for Campbell’s Soup and some innovative ways the FNV campaign has gained publicity and traction.
He described how Bolthouse Farms has sold two billion carrots in the previous year, or half the carrots consumed within the US, and gained media spots with The Huffington Post, NPR, the LA Times, the Associated Press and others. The company engaged the help of a popular wellness blogger, Catherine McCord, from Wellicious, to write about its plan to introduce the concept of an ‘UnBake’ sale. The idea was to hold a sale showcasing snacks and treats made with fresh fruits and vegetables, rather than the traditional cakes, cookies and muffins found at ordinary bake sales. Ms McCord’s blog attracted more than 1000 schools to sign up within four hours. MR Dunn described the formula as social media plus content plus influencer marketing.
The FNV campaign has inspired a ripple effect, including in Australia and New Zealand where the ‘Pick Right. Feel Bright!’ campaign was launched at the conference.